Latakia Percentages

Brothers of Briar

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alfredo_buscatti":0toyesxk said:
What's the percentage of latakia in "Ten Russians," in "Odyssey?"
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my guess would be about 70% in Ten Russians, and I'm pretty sure I read that Odyssey had 60%.
 
I really like Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend. To me it is the epitome of a latakia heavy blend; plenty of latakia so that it tastes full, but I always appreciate the underlying tobacco structure, whatever that is, could be goat hair for all I know. Yet I'm always wondering what a good blend would taste like with more latakia, and I go in the direction of the blends I mentioned. But then I think about all the superlative comments that I've read about Westminster, and then I think that that should be the next latakia blend to try.
 
Is there anywhere where you can find this sort of information for any blend? I mean, I'm sure blenders wouldn't actually like it all that much if it were all easily accessible, but it would be neat to know how much lat/va/per/cav/bur/etc is in each blend.
 
My experience is that whatever the tin notes state is what blenders are likely to divulge. I was thinking to ask about %s of latakia in GLP's blends, but while he has been forthcoming enough to rank his blends in terms of latakia, I very much doubt that you'll get more out of him than that.

But Russ Ouelleutte seems to be more forthcoming.
 
idbowman":673umfu2 said:
Is there anywhere where you can find this sort of information for any blend? I mean, I'm sure blenders wouldn't actually like it all that much if it were all easily accessible, but it would be neat to know how much lat/va/per/cav/bur/etc is in each blend.
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Well... there is a website that reads visitors minds. I know this because I was amazed that I actually knew all the women that were depicted... Ah well... If you could just get the blenders to visit it... and once we got through their fantasies and bank card numbers I'm sure the blend recipes would show up. Of course some of them might encode the recipes within fantasies... :lol:

How about this?
Every tin that is a ribbon mixture (at least) can tell you the answer. Really. And there is nothing the blender can do about it.
You just have to sit down with tweezers and pull each ribbon out and place it in its own little pile with its brethren. Then you weigh each pile. Voila. The challenge is not smoking any before you're done.

Gawith Hoggarth seems to tell us the proportions in the descriptions - for many of the mixtures.

It's surprising how complex some of the blends are. The effects of a given component seem to depend on context.
I remember the first time I tried a GLP blend. It was Renaissance and I was really surprised by how subtle he was with Latakia. It was quite different than I expected. I'm still trying to figure out where I've had Cairo before his. Of course it's not a Latakia blend but still. That one rings bells but I seem to have lost the name of the one it suggests... Anybody?
 
I really like Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend. To me it is the epitome of a latakia heavy blend; plenty of latakia so that it tastes full, but I always appreciate the underlying tobacco structure, whatever that is, could be goat hair for all I know.
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A regular smoke here. Smooth and tasty. Always in my rotation and never tire of it.
 
I also heard that 70% in ten russians.Like you,i also like the BB Balkan a lot and smoke it oftenly.The ten russians i just have it when i want a very specific latakia because i find it to be unidimensional in the latakia taste;being BB Balkan a more complex mix.It depends on the mood.
 
Speaking of blends with stout Latakia percentages, I have heard that C&D Pirate Kake is 70% Latakia and I don't doubt it. I used to smoke a lot of PK before I got away from the stouter blends. C&D's tinned DaVinci supposedly has 75% Latakia but I've never smoked it.

Smokey
 
I forget the name of it...but I had a 70% lat blend at one point, but calling it a blend would be something of a misnomer. I don't think it really mattered what the other elements in the smoke were as you couldn't taste them...they were merely there to tone down the overpowering latakia ever so slightly.

If anything would be added to a 70% lat blend I would think it would be cavendish. You won't taste the cav, but it would likely mellow the smoke nicely.
 
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